Category: Daily

I’d seriously been wanting to make meatball soup for years. Since back when I’d attended a wedding expo in 2003 or 2004 and one of the exhibitors was a local Italian restaurant. The only thing I remember from that expo was the amazing little meatball soup sample I’d had from that  restaurant. It was the best. I don’t know what stopped me from looking for a recipe all these years, but yesterday, as I walked through the isles of HEB to the milk section (what I originally went for; typical!) I searched Pinterest and found this recipe. I changed it up a little, to correspond just a bit better with the Keto/low-carb diet. Jorge said he was truly impressed (initially texting back meatball soup?? when I told him what I wanted to make since I was making the kids spaghetti and meatballs). And so, here is the recipe!

You’ll Need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons dried parsley
A few dashes of chipotle powder (to taste)
4 cups chicken broth
3 Johnsonville Beer brats, sliced and sautéed.
15-20 cooked Meatballs , or store-bought: I recommend HEB classic meatballs (follow baking instructions) (or your favorite)
3/4 cup sour cream
Diced chives as garnish

 Directions:

Warm olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.

Add onions and mushrooms, and sauté. When onions are clear, add minced garlic, salt, pepper; dried parsley and a few dashes of chipotle powder. Stir occasionally for 5-10 minutes.

Pour in broth and bring to a gentle boil.

Add cooked meatballs and sautéed beer brats to pot with vegetables and broth.

Reduce heat to med-low and simmer 20 minutes.

Remove soup from heat and immediately ladle into bowls.

Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and toss in some diced chives.

Serves: 5

And that’s it! I loved it so much I brought some to work with me :). Enjoy!

I’m eating lunch at work again today and I just finished my super tasty enchiladas. I didn’t get photos last night when I first made it or during lunch because I was too busy devouring them, heh. They’re made with this sauce I’ve been making lately that the kids and Jorge all love, so that’s a plus. I’m sure I’ll make them again in 2 weeks when it’s our week with the kiddos again, so I’ll post the receipe :).

So it’s the end of July, which means I already started school-clothes shopping for the girls and we’re halfway done with their supplies shopping, thank goodness. Amidst hanging out with all our kids and Briana on Sunday while she did laundry at the house our master toilet decided to stop flushing. So there Jorge and I go, to Walmart to buy new parts. Our ADD got the best of us and we filled a cart with supplies. I still want to return the glue sticks, because the 2 packs were $.50 and the six packs are $.99 at Target. Jorge gets annoyed with my penny-pinching LOL.

BUT. My penny-pinching is why I’ve done about 60% of the girls’ school-clothes shopping! For SUPER CHEAP. All we need now is the little things like undies and socks, and denim jeans and backpacks. It’s such a weight off my shoulders!

I seriously stress over everything lately, and most of the time there’s no reason for it (like Jorge says). Our bills, the lunch and dinner menus, school, my relationship with friends or co-workers, Eenan’s birthday–just everything. It’s not good for anyone (or my complexion, for that matter). I’m trying to take it easy though. I even wake up and pep-talk myself, and it really is amazing what a difference it makes in how my day starts out (and essentially, how it turns out).

Our kiddos came back Sunday evening (well, Jorge’s were actually dumped on our door-step Saturday, but that’s neither here nor there). It’s great spending time with those little people :). Justin’s learning magic tricks on Youtube, and he’s actually really good! He keeps me entertained while I’m cooking. The kids all joke around and join me in the kitchen and it just feels like life really is complete :).

Eenan and Jaylen had gotten into it after I bathed the girls last night. I was getting their clothes out for them when they barged into the room, arguing. One started blaming the other and so on, until it became heated. So I made them apologize to each other.  Jaylen gets emotional, so I get emotional, then Jorge walks in and gives them a gentle lecturing about how family is everything and when they grow up they’re going to need each other, it was just really touching. Then Emily starts bawling, Eenan joins in and next we’re all in a huge weepy hug :*). Jorge said, “We’re all a family, and we’re all going to love each other.” I loved that moment :).

Justin and Jorgie joined us in the girls’ room (they probably wondered where everyone went) and then they started doing magic tricks. It was great.

Eenan, the girls and I went to the living room after that and watched Ruby Gloom on Netflix…and of course the girls and I passed out on the couch, heh.

I’m debating whether I should go do some more school supply shopping after work. I need to pick up milk anyway. It seems the best sales are going on right now. We’ll see.

Time to get back to work!

I swear, this website will be the death of me (that, or bacon–one of those).

I’ve spent the last hour or so trying to fix this darn layout. Apparently, I didn’t have an uploads folder anymore O_o. I’m still at a loss on how to keep my header image from shrinking, but this will have to do for now. I hate this layout already -_-. In some weird way it keeps me from updating, ’cause I’m weird like that.

Anyhoot. A lot has gone on since the last time I updated (doesn’t it always?), and I’m still trying to compile a post about our trip to San Antonio/Austin at the beginning of June. Some of you may have seen the unfinished entry; my stupid Bluetooth keyboard uploaded the post without my consent >_<. Stupid technology! So. Fourth of July was such a great day. It was Mario's week with the kids but he was nice enough to let me go for them that day and keep them overnight till he picked them up the next day. I'd asked for them because he just so happened to have them the previous 2 years. So that was great. We picked them up, picked up fireworks on the way back, chilled out, and visited Gramma for her birthday. Aunt Sylvia was already there. Gramma ate her tamales that Tia brought her and we took a bunch of photos. She's 84 :*).

We got home and started bar-b-quing for lunch.

I for some reason don’t have a picture of the sides O_o. This may have been the day my 32 gig SD card took a dump and started deleting photos so I panicked and removed it and the rest of the July 4th photos may be on it.

We ate and quickly got ready to go watch the fireworks. When I was little, Dad would bring us almost every 4th of July. When Mario and I got married, we only went one year, when Eenan was 1, and Mario HATED the crowds and waiting and we never went back. Jorge isn’t big on crowds and doesn’t like waiting most of the time either, so I never brought it up. I did this year, and he was all for it. I was excited and so were the kiddos. We packed some blankets, waters, and some glow-necklaces and parked on 23rd street.

People go ALL OUT!! Some were there super early, and fenced off spaces with their lawn chairs, tables, BBQ pits and trucks. It was great :). Now we know, heh.

The show started and I think the kids really enjoyed it. Alaethia was a little scared at first and covered her head with a blanket until Jorge asked her how she was going to see LOL.

I hope this is something we can turn into a tradition ♥.

It took us about 45 minutes to get out of that parking lot so by the time we got home it was almost 10pm. We had promised the kids s’mores so we sprayed everyone completely with Off spray and brought out the packs of fireworks we bought.

It was just such a great night. We all crashed out fast that night :).

When the kiddos are here we try and watch a movie with them every night, Emily helps me cook most nights, the girls and I will do little projects–it’s great just being around them ♥. We need to start planning Eenan’s 14th (FOURTEENTH!!! FML!!) birthday soon; he wants to go to the beach, so that’ll be fun :).

Alaethia had 2 fillings done on the 9th and she did wonderfully!! I was seriously more nervous about it than she was; she’s a trooper :).

She lost a tooth the next day, so now her two bottom ones are gone, awww LOL.

As for when it’s not our week with the kids, well, the majority of the time we stay home. For the most part, we’re hermits, heh. We have to force ourselves to go out. We’re comfortable and happy to have a drink on the porch, by ourselves, or watch our movies/shows (we recently got into “Mistresses” on ABC. Love it!).

In the past month, however, we have gotten out a few times. We went to Beef ‘O’ Brady’s for the commercial shooting (invited by the owner) and Jorge had a mini reunion with Rolie, Junior, Jesus, Sean and even Robert and Esmer :). It was a great night.

Then we went to Beef’s again for the UFC fight, where we won free tickets to see Genuwine LOL. That was pretty unexpected, and although we haven’t heard his music since our high school years (FML), it’ll be fun.

Carmen and her hubby and Dayse were in town so Kary and I planned an impromptu get-together. Dayse is…PREGNANT!! So we wanted to get together to celebrate before they left. Sally didn’t make it and I haven’t seen her in a while :(, but hopefully we can get together soon. It was a great night though, filled with carbs and laughs and great conversation. I love those girls!!

And speaking of carbs, we’ve been eating horribly since 4th of July. For example, this was our dinner on Tuesday night:

I decided today that I was getting back on the wagon and eating well again. Until Jorge invited the guys over and I drank 2 pineapple Margaritas. FML. And Jessica (from work) and her hubby are coming over tomorrow night, which reminds me: I must clean!! Jorge and I are getting some breakfast before I go to my dentist appointment in the morning. That should be interesting!